Bears
Bears HC Matt Eberflus doesn’t have any plans to pull QB Justin Fields for the final games of the season, believing it will provide the team with valuable experience going forward.
“We’ve got to get better,” Eberflus said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “We want to improve. We want to see where we are. These last two games matter. They’re division opponents to us, very important to our football team to see the competition, to see guys compete against our division. I think it’s important for each man, it’s important for each unit and it’s important for our whole football team.”
“We have to learn how to finish,” Eberflus added. “We were at the game two days ago, but you saw it, right? It was the fourth quarter, eight minutes to go, and it was 21-13, right? We’ve got the ball, and we’ve gotta learn how to finish. We have to finish there… They’re getting close to really understanding how to finish the game, and you finish with game-defining execution. That’s what you finish with. In those moments that the plays, when they matter in the fourth quarter, we execute. And, to me, these next two games are just about that — being able to execute in those game-defining moments, those plays that matter, and getting it done. To me, that’s important going forward to the future.”
Lions
- The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy looks ahead to 2023 for the Lions and what their roster could look like. Among the players he lists as expected to be on the roster and play big roles entering next season are QB Jared Goff, WR Josh Reynolds, LT Taylor Decker, DL John Cominsky, DE Romeo Okwara and CB Jeff Okudah, along with the other usual suspects.
- The Lions have several pending free agents and Pouncy believes they’ll try to bring back RB Jamaal Williams, OL Evan Brown, LB Alex Anzalone and DT Isaiah Buggs.
- Conversely, Pouncey expects Detroit to let CB Amani Oruwariye, DB Will Harris and DT Michael Brockers go, whether it’s allowing their contract to expire or releasing them.
- Others on the fence about being back in 2023 include WR DJ Chark, DE Charles Harris, G Halapoulivaati Vaitai and S DeShon Elliott, per Pouncy. Chark and Elliott are pending free agents, Harris and Vaitai could be cap cuts.
- The Lions will not activate WR Quintez Cephus from the injured reserve after designating him to return three weeks ago. This will shut down Cephus for the rest of the season. (Kyle Meinke)
Packers
- Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post writes former Titans GM Jon Robinson is a strong candidate to join Green Bay’s front office, as he’s good friends with GM Brian Gutekunst.
- The Packers worked out WR Isaiah Coulter and RB B.J. Simmons on Tuesday. (Aaron Wilson)
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